


Hey Now (Don't Dream It's Over)

by stranger_steeb



Series: Everybody Wants to Rule the World [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alpha Billy Hargrove, Alpha Eleven | Jane Hopper, Alpha Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Alpha Mike Wheeler, Alpha Nancy Wheeler, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, BAMF Nancy Wheeler, Beta Dustin Henderson, Beta Jonathan Beyers, Beta Lucas Sinclair, Billy Hargrove Being an Asshole, Billy Hargrove Redemption, F/F, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Lots of Angst, M/M, Multi, Omega Steve Harrington, Omega Will Byers, Pack Mom Steve Harrington, everyone deserves better but here we are, i hate tagging kids, i tried writing this fic years ago as a hamilton fic but i think the idea might work better here, lots of fluff, ride the angst train, robin buckley is a real one. stan or die, steve harrington. what a dude, we stan good redemption arcs and dammit i will give this asshole one, will beyers needs all the love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22527598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stranger_steeb/pseuds/stranger_steeb
Summary: The fall of 1985 is fading, and winter is creeping in to Hawkins. The town looks forward to what's next, after one hell of a summer. Futures are planned, secrets are uncovered, and it becomes clear that the Upside Down isn't done with this dimension. To top it all off, the government is coming after omega rights, and the root of their solution is closer to home than any of them could have expected.Especially Steve Harrington.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington/Original Character(s), Dustin Henderson/Suzie, Jonathan Byers & Steve Harrington & Nancy Wheeler & Original Character(s), Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Steve Harrington/Original Female Character(s), Will Byers/Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
Series: Everybody Wants to Rule the World [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620841
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	1. Book One: The Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go, let's get this fic started! I spent all night writing this thing so if it's confusing I genuinely apologize. Kudos and comments are my coffee and cream and my sleep-deprived ass needs more of it. Enjoy!

Emily Norwood was born in Augusta, Maine. She dies in Hawkins, Indiana three years after that.

_Three_ is created in Hawkins, replacing little Emily. She has no memories of the northeast, or of much really. She knows labs and white coats and an incessant _cold_ that can never leave her fingertips. She knows an even _worse_ cold that fills up her young soul, and she aches to rip it out of her chest. There's another strange cold, the type found only in the strange world the lab keeps sending her into. A world with no sun, no warmth, no life. It's a numb kind of cold, the kind that leaves her shivering for hours after she's returned.

By the time Three is seven years old, her path in life has been decided upon by the government men. _She'll make a great spy,_ they say. Of course she would. How many countries could say they had a spy who could play with dreams? She's _one of a kind_ , one of a small group of kids like her. She knows Eleven, so young and so powerful, and so very deserving of an existence _better_ than this. She knows Eight, the little rebel, and has to thank her when the other girl escapes because the chaos provides _just_ _enough_ of a window for Three to escape through. One day she'll have to apologize to Eleven, should they meet again.

It's her and the stars and she's utterly _lost_. She stays that way for a good week or two before a mother and her boys stumble across her. That’s her first interaction, her first real reaction with secondary gender. The people in white coats carried no scent; whether alpha, beta, or omega, they all wore scent blockers. The older experiments were treated the same way. All three, even the betas, give off some sort of scent, but the lab is sterile; not a single scent is detectable inside. Packs, nests, the entire concept of those secondary roles, it’s _foreign_ to Crystal until _this_ _moment_. It almost startles the girl.

When an omega, especially one with two pups of her own, sees a child so woefully neglected, they can’t help but need to take care of them. Joyce Beyers is no exception. This girl tugs at something deep within her heart, and Joyce tries to get some information out of her- her name, where she’s from, if she’s _okay_. Nothing gets answered. Her eyes are big and brown and filled with fear and confusion and Joyce can’t afford another pup, Lonnie isn’t going to _want_ another pup, but Joyce can’t just leave her.

So she takes her home and cleans her up and Three is even more lost than before because this house is filled with so many _smells_ and this woman is so _different_. So _kind_ , so _warm_. Her boys ask questions, and she can't answer them. Joyce takes her to the police station before Lonnie returns and they ask her more questions. She can't answer. She lies because some part of her almost feels the lab watching her, feels the _other_ world watching her, and if she keeps their secret maybe they'll keep hers too. No one knows what to do with her, so she stays with Joyce and her kind sons and her less than enthused husband.

Then there's _Claudia_ , who's very essence seems to fill every inch of any room she enters. She barges into the Beyers house one day, takes one look at the lone pup, and takes an immediate liking to her. She smells like comfort, Three thinks, and she eases some of the cold in her soul. Joyce is someone she feels safe with, but with Claudia she gets the sense that she somehow _belongs_. Within a month of knowing the other woman, she’s moving in with Claudia and her quiet husband and _Dustin_.

And _oh_ , how she loves Dustin. He's small, defenseless, like Eleven, and this time, she tells herself, she'll be the protector. She'll do for this boy what she couldn't do for her sister. Their bond is fast and complete and unbreakable. He admires her every move, hangs on to her every word. She keeps close all the time, reads him stories, plays with him happily. She follows Claudia around the kitchen, watching and learning. When the adoption inevitably gets finalized, Three dies. Now there's _Crystal_ _Henderson_ , Hawkins mysterious new resident.

Her powers are her secret for two years after that. Then Dustin has a particularly _bad_ nightmare, and she can't help but step in and try to weave something else out of it. Cold fingertips weave images of happier memories, but six-year-old Dustin knows something isn't normal about his dream, or her presence. She retreats so fast he wakes up, and she can't find a good enough cover story so she tells him the _truth_ , proves it further by conjuring a flurry of snowflakes and making his teddy bear float in midair. His sister, he exclaims in giddy surprise, is a superhero. His sister, she corrects, is technically a _fugitive_. It becomes their secret now. Crystal grows up, carefree and happy, and the cold is chased further and further into her soul by the familial warmth of her mother and brother.

When she turns fourteen she presents as an omega, the only one in the Henderson house. Jonathan says, as the pair lounge about his room two weeks after her first heat, it’s not surprising, given her sensitivity to smells. He’s so damn _perceptive_ , Jonathan. He notices everything, always has. Even back when they were younger, when Crystal began going to school at Hawkins Elementary and struggled to make friends. He’d picked up on her struggle and had quietly inserted himself in her life. While their younger brothers became friends and spent their days yelling over toys and heroes and comics, the elder pair of kids bonded over music and jokes. She’s got other friends now _(two to be exact; Nancy Wheeler and Barbara Holland)_ , but no one compares to _Jonathan_.

If she has to guess, she thinks to herself that day, she’d label him a beta. She tells him this and he laughs his agreement.

And it isn’t exactly _surprising_. Betas make up nearly seventy percent of the world’s population. Alphas and omegas are the rarities, genetic _mutations_ of a sort. Alphas particularly, Crystal reads a year later, after Nancy Wheeler has her first rut. Barely ten percent of the world is alpha. There certainly aren’t many in Hawkins.

Jim Hopper is, the new chief of police. He’s new and smells like cigarettes and trees and _sadness_. He’s grumpy and rough around the edges but he’s not so bad. Especially after Eleven escapes, and the grumpy officer takes her in himself.

Eleven almost doesn’t recognize Crystal at first, when the older girl sneaks into the basement one day to surprise Dustin before picking him up and instead finds the boys hiding her. Later, though, the connection is made and Crystal is so relieved Eleven remembers, so happy she’s out of that lab, so _sorry_ she left her there that night eight years ago. Eleven, for her part, holds no ill will against her lab sister. Their bond had weakened in their separation, but it grows again in the time they spend together. Mike is _almost_ suspicious of their instant connection at first. Nancy and Jonathan _are_ suspicious.

But their suspicions have to be dealt with later because Will Beyers and Barbara Holland are _missing_. Jonathan suffers without his little brother, can’t accept his death. Nancy and Crystal look for Barb and fear the worst. Eleven may be younger, but her telepathic abilities _far_ outweigh Crystal’s and she tells them that Will’s in the Upside Down. So was Barb, she says. She’s sorry, she tells the teens. Nancy is enraged, the alpha in her seeking revenge for the pack member she’s lost. She’s going to make sure that monster dies, no matter what. Crystal is right behind her. Jonathan helps, of course he helps. They’re in the Beyers home, trap set and air so filled with scents of _fear_ and _anger_ and _pheromones_ and _gasoline_ that Crystal thinks she might throw up from it all. Instead of the monster, they lure in _Steve_ _Harrington_ of all people.

Steve Harrington, the most popular junior in Hawkins High. Steve, _Nancy’s_ _omega_. The only other omega Crystal knows really. He’s a douche and a dick and his cockiness annoys the hell out of Crystal but Nancy seems to like him and so she plays nice. Except right _now_ she’s pissed with him for letting his friends pull their spraypaint stunt on Nancy, and for his fight with Jonathan, and this monster is _coming_ because the lights are _flickering_ and she’s _that_ _close_ to conjuring a sharp icicle and stabbing him in the damn neck if he doesn’t shut up and _leave_ -

But she still hasn’t told Nancy or Jonathan about that, and before she can give the idea serious consideration Nancy’s threatening him with a _gun_ and he’s terrified. That fear is nothing compared to the _horror_ on his face when the Demogorgon claws in through the ceiling. Nancy needs him to leave; she can’t focus on fighting this son of a bitch if her omega is thrown in to the mix. So a petrified Harrington rushes out of the house and the trio prepare to face the creature again. When it returns it stuns her with a blow and Nancy empties her gun into its body with no results. It almost _eats_ Jonathan’s face off before the dumb omega returns, nailed baseball bat in hand. Steve Harrington surprises Crystal with his brazen courage in that moment, beating the Demogorgon until it backs into the bear trap and gives Jonathan a chance to set it on fire.

Her opinion on the other omega changes after that, just a little bit.

But as Christmas rolls around, after Will’s return home and things begin returning to normal, Crystal watches him snuggle up to Nancy and can’t help but feel like they wouldn’t survive after everything that happened.

Jonathan says, as the pair admire the new camera Nancy bought him, that she can be surprisingly perceptive when she wants to be. And it’s true, she’s good at picking up on things when she tries. With a teasing smile, she tells him he’s not always as perceptive as he thinks.

She repeats this later on, when she finds herself blurting out the truth about her past. He’d never picked up on her secret, not in all those years.

Because Will might be back, but the monster hasn’t let go _quite_ yet, and she remembers being in the lab and having to go into that gate, wondering if there were monsters in there, monsters that might _hurt_ her, and Joyce was just so easy to open up to, and when she told Crystal about her concerns it just slips out. Jonathan just has to enter the room then, and she can’t help but feel bad for not telling him earlier.

_She’s like El_ , he states in almost disbelief. She’s like El, she confirms.

And _yeah_ , he’s a little wounded that she didn’t tell him before, but he’s understanding as always and forgives her then and there. She tells Will the same day, about her trips to the Upside Down and her _powers_ , and she promises him that he’ll be okay. And just like that, her secret lies with a whole other family.

And it becomes unveiled to Mike and Lucas soon after, in the junkyard with Dustin and Harrington, who isn’t Nancy’s omega anymore. For whatever reason, Dustin takes a liking to him, but Crystal doesn’t quite mind because he’s not such a _douche_ anymore. He fights off the Demodogs with his dumb baseball bat because there’s no way _anything’s_ going to hurt these pups, not while he’s got anything to say about it. She hurls an icicle through one’s head on instinct and Dustin’s friends are in complete _awe_. Harrington misses the feat, so she keeps him out of the loop for now. They get the kids out of there safely together, and when the plan to finally get the Mind Flayer out of Will’s head for good is put into play the two plan on watching the kids together as well, and when the little shits suggest burning the tunnels used by the Demodogs to by Eleven and Hopper time to close the gate both teens nearly have a _heart_ _attack_. Keeping them put was hard enough. Then _Billy_ _Hargrove_ has to show up.

Billy Hargrove has only been in town for a few months and he’s already made one hell of an impression. There aren’t many alphas in town, but he’s arguably the most dominant of them all. His stepsister Max is an alpha too, and Dustin is definitely head over heels in love with her. Billy is nowhere _near_ as charming as the redheaded pup. He’s cocky and smug and _mean_ , and he’s suddenly shoving past Steve and trying to drag Max home and Lucas isn’t having it. Steve, beginning to establish himself as the pack mother, isn’t about to have _anyone_ hurt any of _his_ damn kids. He has the upper hand in the fight at first- impressive for an omega. But Billy knocks him out and Crystal nearly tackles him herself but Max takes care of it. Billy leaves them alone after that.

_But not really._

Because he can’t _help_ himself. The kids he leaves alone, but Steve and Crystal are fair game to him. Crystal, one of the few girls who won’t give in to his charm, and Steve, the _rejected_ omega. He taunts them and toys with them throughout the rest of the school year.

Steve is a little _tired_ of it. Because that’s what he’s always been to some degree, the _rejected_ _omega_. Because Archie Harrington expected an alpha son and got _Steve_ , and it’s not like there wasn’t an air of disappointment in the house _before_ that but it got a hell of a lot worse after that. And now it doesn’t matter, he tells himself, but the thirteen-year-old pup with bad grades and the wrong secondary gender desired his parents’ approval beyond all else. Maybe his father is simply impossible to please. He’s never pleased with the company, or the house, or with his beta mate. All his secretaries, Steve knows, have been omegas, and there’s a _reason_ for that. The man has no respect for omegas. Maybe that’s why he’s so disappointed in how Steve turns out.

Lucille Harrington isn’t _disappointed_ , per se. But Steve thinks she’s got some _resentment_ against omegas and he can’t blame her but does she hold that against him too? He’s too scared to ask. It’s not a question you ask over the phone, and his parents are gone so often on “business trips” that he always feels guilty about ruining the small amount of time they have together with questions like that. So it remains unasked.

Steve knows they _must_ love him- he knows his _mother_ does, at the very least. But their constant absence makes it hard to believe that sometimes. His house is too _big_ and too _perfect_ and too _quiet_ , and the older he gets the more he just wants to leave. It feels like he’s just been abandoned in that big house. And that’s where the rejection begins, he acknowledges.

It continues with Nancy Wheeler, and it’s _hard_ because he’d built up this façade of a nonchalant cool guy, sleeping around with betas and hiding his omega scent under cologne and scent blockers and spending his time with local alpha assholes Tommy and Carol and _Nancy_ comes along and changes _everything_. He’s been so cautious with making bonds and connections, never letting himself catch feelings, but with her it’s impossible to stop the fall. He takes her scent and opens up and he thinks that maybe, _maybe_ , the loneliness is really gone this time.

_It’s_ _bullshit_ , she tells him later on, drunk and grieving the death of her best friend. And some part of him hopes it’s _just_ the alcohol, or the hurt, but when she’s sober the next day she _can’t_ tell him he loves her and the loneliness hits him so hard it takes all the strength in his _body_ to not crumple right then and there. He cries that night, hard and loud and long, and the loneliness curls around his ribs with cold, relentless tendrils.

The rejection goes further with stupid fucking _Hargrove_ , the bad boy alpha that takes his reputation as the charmer, the popular boy, the cool guy, in one fell swoop. To take it a step further the blonde douchebag even steals his friends. It’s for the best really; Tommy and Carol aren’t _good_ _people_ , but it hurts still because he’s out of people to call friends at that point.

And then there’s rejection after rejection from college after college, and his father rejects his request for a job, and Steve feels like he’s _drowning_ because he doesn’t know what the hell he’s going to do. He wonders sometimes if Billy got into college, or if the dumbass even _applied_. He wonders why Nancy doesn’t go to college right out of high school, or why Jonathan doesn’t go to NYU. He wonders what Crystal’s going to do because she’s already said college wasn’t going to happen. College isn’t for people like _her_ , people with _secrets_ like hers.

He’s pretty sure he’s the last one to learn, and the only reason he finds out is because Steve snuck over one night to fix Dustin’s bike in the night before the boy woke up. Crystal, not recognizing him in the dark, trapped him with her telekinetic abilities and nearly stabbed his eye with a sharp _icicle_. It’s impressive, he has to admit. She says those powers are nothing compared to the dreams she can create, but ice powers are _pretty_ _fucking_ _cool_ in his book. He tells her as much sometimes, and every time he does she laughs.

And if he’s honest, his life hasn’t been _all_ rejection because Crystal’s accepted his friendship. Once she teased him saying she only dealt with him because her brother likes him, but she sees him all the time, and he spends more time at her home with Dustin and Claudia than at his own home. And Nancy’s slowly accepting his friendship too, which is a struggle for him but he thinks she’ll be a good friend. Jonathan too, the protective beta is becoming something like a concerned father-figure type of friend. And when he gets the news that the job at the new mall is as good as his he realizes that Billy Hargrove doesn’t know _shit_. He’s not a _complete_ reject.

_But he still struggles with that cold loneliness._

It’s a problem for later, though. School’s ending soon and his parents are leaving on a big business trip. They’re opening a new branch of the company, Archie says. It’s supposed to cater to the needs of alphas and omegas mainly, suppressants and blockers and _collars_. One day Steve might get to run things there, the alpha says. His tone sounds like he’s joking and Steve thinks he gets it but he’s going to learn that he really _didn’t_.

His parents leave, and he finds himself alone in the house once again, left only with a prototype of one of the new collars his dad’s making and a house far too big for one person.


	2. Part One: Private Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Otherwise Known As: We're One Chapter In and Crystal Already Can't Get a Rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may try and get a schedule going for chapter updates but college is probably not going to allow that. Follow my Stranger things Tumblr at stranger-harrington, and if anyone would like to be a beta reader for this project feel free to reach out!!

Sleeping is such a strange concept to Crystal. Mainly because it's so _out of reach_ sometimes. It's a complication of her powers; while some say that great power brings great responsibility, Crystal knows better. With great power comes great _side effects_.

And each power brings its own condition to the table. Ice brings _cold_ , the kind that settles so deep in your bone that no amount of sunshine or fire can make it better, telekinesis brings headaches, and dream manipulation brings whatever the hell this is.

It's not _insomnia_ ; she can fall asleep if she tries. But the moment Crystal falls asleep she's bombarded with dreams and visions and feelings from seemingly every damn person in Hawkins. It's not every night, but it's too often for her liking.

And so she's up, perched on the hood of her car as she gazes up at the sky. It's painfully early in the morning, and lavender clouds meander across a cornflower sky above her.

Too damn early for her.

But at least she's not alone. Steve's sleepy as all hell settled beside her, his head resting against the windshield. Crystal usually called Jonathan to spend mornings like this with her, but he's a bit too far away for that now.

She's not _bitter_ about it, but she wishes the summer hadn't ended with the departure of the Byers. She missed her best friend dearly. Steve isn't a bad person to turn to though. She'd called him for some company over the phone and he'd insisted on meeting outside somewhere, and here they are.

"M'gonna buy you some damn sleeping pills, so you can't wake me up at god-forsaken hours of the morning," he grumbles, eyes closed as he fights off sleep. His words are grouchy but his tone is soft, and his lips are quirked in a tiny smile. Crystal snorts, hand shooting out to smack him lightly. 

"Fuck off, Harrington." He chuckles, eyes cracking open to look at the other omega.

"You know you love me, _snowflake_ ," he teases, flicking Crystal's arm. Then he closes his eyes again and shifts so he's leaning up against her. She smiles, gazing up at the sky again.

It's the onset of autumn and things feel strange. Like the end of something _grand_.

And it is, she supposes. The Byers moved out a month prior, their jobs at Starcourt Mall were gone, many of the kids their age had left Hawkins to chase their dreams in college, and the warm weather is being chased away by winter's oncoming cold. Crystal isn't sure she likes it because she doesn't know what to do with herself anymore. She’s been adamant about not going to college; she had the grades, but leaving Hawkins wasn’t something she had ever been very _keen_ on doing. She’d shared her concerns about her future more than a few times with the town’s chief of police, who she’d unexpectedly grown close to over the course of the past two years. Hopper had told her once that she could make an incredible detective or an agent of some sort. 

_"You got guts," he'd said. They'd been sitting on the cop's front porch, Eleven and Mike out with the rest of the party. Jim Hopper was a grouch of an alpha, but his protective nature and his big heart of gold had helped establish him as a good chief of police and made him someone the kids trusted. Crystal especially trusted him, as the caretaker of her lab sister. She raised an eyebrow at him as they sat, and Hopper kept his gaze firmly fixed ahead. "You're brave, and you got heart. You'd make a good cop, Henderson."_

_"A cop?" she repeated, almost incredulously. "Never thought about that."_

_"You should consider it!" He glanced over at her, half of his mouth tugging up into a small smile. "You're a good kid, a good person. You got the heart for the job. Those powers of yours could come in handy too." Crystal snorted._

_"I could be a big-time special agent or something," she chuckled._

_"You could be anything, trust me," he told her, nodding once. He went on after a pause. "But as an officer, I'm partial to the cop route."_

_"Of course you are." She chuckled, taking a swig from her bottle of soda. Hopper mimicked the motion with his beer, pausing before speaking again._

_"Seriously, you've always got a position with the police," he said, and something about his tone became more serious than it had been before. She took a moment to ponder it._

_"I might take you up on that offer."_

Maybe if things had gone differently, she might be there now. But working in that station without Jim feels _wrong_ , and so she stays away. The mall's in the process of being restored, but she doubts she'll feel comfortable working there ever again. Even then, the mall was always just _temporary_ , until she found her direction in life.

She's still directionless, but at least she's not the only one.

Steve doesn't exactly snore, but a soft sound escapes him as he dozes lightly on her shoulder. The sun's awakening has the sky brightening into a pale blue, and she takes some relief in the knowledge that it's officially morning.

"You can't just sleep on the roof of my car," she murmurs. He doesn't open his eyes, but she feels him jolt slightly beside her.

"Says who?" Steve’s words come out slurred, stifling a yawn as he stretches his neck.

"Says _me_ , dumbass," she snorts. "Go home and sleep." One of Steve's doe eyes peers up at her.

"You headin' back too?"

"Yep. Better get back before Mom and Dustin get out of bed." Crystal smiles and pushes at the boy slightly, and Steve gives in. He sits up and stretches, shaking his head to clear his foggy brain, and slips off the car with relative ease.

"I told Dustin he could come by later and watch a movie," he tells her as she hops off her car. "You gonna drop by too?" The girl nods.

"Yeah, I'll join. Maybe I'll bring some pizza from that one place down the street." _Steve's favorite pizza place_ , she knows. It'll be a thank you for sitting out here with her so early in the morning. He grins, nodding once, before swaggering over to his car.

"Sounds like a plan, snowflake. I'll see you around."

"Bye, Harrington," she chuckles, before ducking into her own vehicle. She's home in no time, slipping in and making her way to the kitchen. She's already awake; might as well do something productive. Her cassette player is left on the counter, playing one of the many mixtapes Jonathan has made her over the years. Foreigner plays out into the room and she sings along as she bustles about, mixing pancake batter and pulling bacon from the fridge. 

As far as Crystal's concerned, cooking is _fun_. She can be as creative as she wants and gets a good meal out of the whole thing, a true win-win. Claudia Henderson is a stellar cook, it only makes sense her adopted daughter picked up the art as well. It isn't uncommon to find the remnants of flour smeared on caramel skin, or a stain on her jeans from where she's wiped her hand, or something caught in her dark curls that she’ll later pull out and toss away trying to act like she wasn’t a _little bit_ embarrassed about it. It's messy sometimes, but Crystal hardly minds. Sometimes, the best things in life are _messy_.

Dustin wanders in halfway through her operation, smiling when he sees the chocolate chips in the pancake batter.

"You're literally the best ever," he tells her, moving over to the fridge and pulling out the orange juice. Crystal reaches over to ruffle his hair.

"I know. Good morning to you too." His squawks of protest make the omega laugh, and he sticks his tongue out at her before grabbing a cup and making his way to the island and taking a seat on one of the stools. 

"You're up early," he states as he pours himself a glass of juice. _She knows this game_ ; he does a good job of hiding his concern, but the girl sees right through it. Crystal shrugs.

"Eh, couldn't sleep very well." At the frown he gives her, she adds, "but it's fine. I don't feel tired or anything, so it's fine."

And it's true. She doesn't feel tired. She's running in her body's energy reserve. A nap is _most definitely_ in her future, however.

Dustin seems satisfied with her reply, and lets it go. Crystal smiles and listens as Dustin begins rambling about his plans for the day, and while she’s really trying to listen she can’t help but be distracted by her own thoughts.

Dustin Henderson is almost fifteen, and he’s already faced down more monsters than most people will ever see in their lives.

In moments like this, you’d hardly know it; he’s all smiles as he talks about the group project he’s currently working on with Lucas and Mike, hands flying around to emphasize his words. He looks like any normal teenager in America right now. But _sometimes_ , sometimes she sees it. She sees the way he stiffens at loud noises and sudden movements, the way he shies away from lizards where he once used to beg Claudia to let him keep just one, the way his nightmares often have him waking up in cold sweat.

Of course, she’s always on the lookout for _those_ , does her best to catch them before they get too bad and turn them into peaceful visions. He’ll wake up after those and come curl up with her in her room in a silent show of thanks, the two usually remaining silent as they watch the rising sun spill its light through her curtains.

And that’s another thing; Dustin is surprisingly affectionate for a fifteen-year-old boy, but it’s not the same as when he was younger. Once upon a time, he used to instigate hugs and cuddles and the like, and Crystal used to _love_ it. Now she’s the one that has to seek it out. His hugs are still as warm as ever, but he’s becoming more reserved with it. She’s not surprised, all boys do it at that age, but it’s still something she has to adjust to.

Bacon sizzles away on the stove, and she has to keep a careful eye on Dustin, who’s definitely been edging a little too close to the pancakes. Crystal reaches into the cupboard and pulls out a bowl, plunking it down in front of her brother, between him and the pancakes.

“Here, be helpful and whisk some eggs for me, will you?” Dustin makes a face, but slides over to the fridge to grab the carton.

“Is my presence not helpful enough?” he teases, and the older girl snorts in reply. It’s Hall and Oates playing now, and Dustin sings along as he sets to work. Crystal sways slightly to the tune, her head bouncing as she listens to the vocals.

It’s not such a _bad_ thing sometimes, staying up until the sun comes out.

She’s really not surprised when she hears a knock on the door and sees Dustin’s subsequent grin, but she raises a questioning eyebrow anyway. His smile turns sheepish. “I could smell the pancakes before I came down and thought maybe the others might want to join us?” he tries. Crystal tries very hard to hide her amusement, but ultimately she fails, and Dustin rushes to the door to let his friends in.

Mike couldn’t make it; Nancy was taking him out for breakfast, but Max and Lucas, and a grumpy-looking Erica all walk into the kitchen behind Dustin. Nancy and Mike have been trying to reconnect, something that hasn’t been _smooth sailing_ for them exactly, and while Crystal would have loved to have them both over for breakfast she’s glad the two are out on their own. The girl flashes a bright smile at the rest of the kids, and moves to pluck the bacon out of the pan. 

“Morning, guys,” she hums. Their replies vary in enthusiasm- Erica’s being the worst, and Max’s being the brightest, surprisingly.

Crystal has a special place in her heart for the young alpha. Of them all, she’d taken one of the hardest hits in their summer fiasco. Maybe she hadn’t been that close to Billy, but Crystal still remembered how heartbroken the girl had been at his death. The loss of a sibling is something Crystal herself can’t bear to _think_ about, let alone actually go through. Max has handled it like a champ, however, and the older omega admires her for that. Steve, pack mother he is, has really taken her under his wing, and Crystal’s done the same, comforting her through the whole thing.

As far as Hawkins and the rest of the world is concerned, Billy Hargrove lost control of his car one night and disappeared, and has since been presumed dead. Even Neil and Susan think he’s simply disappeared. Neil gave up looking pretty quick; _damn kid probably ran off to California_ being his conclusion. Susan never seemed _particularly_ concerned with Billy’s fate either. Only Max carries that burden in that home. With Billy gone, Neil’s become more aggressive towards the redhead, and Crystal’s begun seeing more of her here and at the Sinclair household as she tries avoiding her own troubled home.

It isn’t _fair_ to the kid, Crystal knows. But there’s not much she can do.

Dustin ends up scrambling the eggs himself, and when Crystal sets the plate stacked with pancakes down in front of the kids even Erica perks up. By the time Claudia makes her appearance the food is halfway gone, and the island is surrounded by a group of very chatty children. Crystal gives her mother a small, tired smile, which the older woman returns as she enters the kitchen.

“Well, I didn’t know we were having guests this morning,” she observes, pausing to give Dustin a good morning kiss _(that he only halfheartedly complains about, his smile is enough to let anyone know he’s not in any way displeased),_ then Crystal before she gets her own plate. Two pairs of brown eyes and a third pair of blue follow her movement, and three voices parrot, _“good morning, Mrs. Henderson”_ in near sync. Claudia’s own smile is enough to let anyone know she’s not bothered by the extra mouths. She piles her plate with food and thanks Crystal for breakfast before _‘leaving the kitchen to the kids’_ and settling in the living room. 

Crystal doesn’t _make_ them clean up after themselves, and Erica doesn’t seem particularly interested in doing so anyway, but the older three end up cleaning up the kitchen before all but falling up the stairs in their haste to get to Dustin’s room, Lucas’ sister right on their tail. Erica isn’t _exactly_ a part of their group, but lately she’s been hanging out with them more. It’s cute, Crystal thinks. She watches them go before deciding that they can’t be the only ones having fun, running up to her room and making her own phone call. Within fifteen minutes, she’s pulling Robin through the door and the pair quickly find themselves up in Crystal’s room, Bowie playing on her record player as they laugh and talk.

The first time Crystal met the infamous Robin Buckley, she’d developed an immediate crush on the alpha. It’s tapered off now, but the two have become close friends.

_“What’s gotten into me, befriending all these damn omegas?”_ she liked to tease, and both Crystal and Steve liked to protest in response, but the whole thing usually dissolved into a fit of laughter. The girls are lounged around now, sans their other friend, Robin hanging off the end of the bed while Crystal sits in the nook by the window, recounting her morning. Robin, as is usual, listening with rapt attention, butting in the moment a question arises.

“So, you just see people’s dreams and shit?” Robin’s eyebrows waggle suggestively. “Have you ever stumbled across someone’s wet dream? That’d be _awful_.” The girl laughs while Crystal makes a rather undignified sound, throwing a pillow at her.

“It _would_ be awful, and I have _not_ , thank you,” she snorts. Robin’s laughter is unfairly contagious, and she can’t help but laugh along. This is her newest friendship - they’d gone to high school together, but Crystal hadn’t been very keen on making new friends back then and had stuck to the ones she had, Nancy, Barb, and Jonathan. Steve had crashed into her life then, and now Robin was joining in too, and she may not have been looking for them but god, is she happy to have them.

Especially Robin. The two had clicked faster than Crystal had clicked with anyone else in her current group of friends. The two had an identical taste in music and fashion, played the same games, and bonded further over their adventures with Steve. As Crystal looks over at her now, she’s got to once again thank her lucky star that she’s in her life.

Even if her jokes are damn near _unbearable_ sometimes.

Crystal can sit and talk and dance and listen to music with Robin all day, but at some point her eyes begin closing on their own accord, and Robin’s kind enough to take a hint without the other having to say a word. She’s up and dragging Crystal into bed within moments, chuckling softly.

“Okay, nap time for you, dream girl,” she announces, and Crystal puts up a small fuss because _why sleep when they could read another magazine together_ but Robin’s having none of it. She makes sure Crystal is settled and in bed before promising to call later and leaving, and once she’s alone Crystal really _does_ feel the exhaustion hit, and she almost falls asleep except that the phone rings and Dustin loudly announces that it’s _Jonathan_ , and Crystal decides once again that sleep can wait. 

It’s a wild scramble to grab the phone off her nightstand, and when she answers with a rushed “Jonathan! Hey!” the beta just laughs in that quiet way of his because he can hear the scramble in her voice.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asks with a hint of a tease and his voice, and Crystal huffs.

“No.” He can’t interrupt a nap if she hadn’t gotten to the point of actual sleep, right? “What’s up? How’s Cincinnati?”

“It’s alright,” he says, which is what he says every time she’s asked this question since the move. “It’s so much bigger than Hawkins, I can’t remember seeing this many buildings in one place in my life.” Both of them chuckle at that. They’re both still in that weird _transition period,_ still adjusting to the miles and miles and miles of distance between, to having to talk strictly over the phone- _no more driving down the street to crash on each other’s beds and chat in person_. If Crystal’s honest, she _hates_ it. At the same time, however, she gets it. Hawkins is her home now, she’s happy here, but the worst experiences of her life have taken place here as well. For Joyce, it just became too much. Cincinnati is safer for her and El and Will, and Jonathan couldn’t let them move to a new city all on their own, even if some selfish part of Crystal wanted him to.

They’re not on the phone long; hard as she tries the omega ultimately can’t hide the sleepiness in her voice, and Jonathan makes her get off the phone, even if she puts up a bit of a fuss about it. She does manage to fall asleep this time, and her slumber remains blissfully devoid of anyone’s dreams.

She gets almost two hours into this peaceful slumber before Claudia’s familiar voice breaks through that sleepy fog and rouses her.

Before Jonathan left, he used to be the one to drive the kids around; in his absence, Crystal’s really taken up that position. She doesn’t mind it, she _really_ _doesn’t_ , but sometimes it does prove to be a little bit _inconvenient_. This would be one of those times. She makes her way down the stairs and finds a guilty-looking Dustin and his friends, Mike now included, all behind an oblivious Claudia.

“Crissy honey, do you think you could take the kids to the store?” she asks. “I would do it, but-“

“It’s no problem,” Crystal interrupts, shaking her head to clear the sleep away. “You’ve got work soon, go get ready.” Claudia’s smile is a grateful one, and she pinches her daughter’s cheek before moving past her to head up the stairs. Dustin opens his mouth, probably to apologize for making her wake up, but before he can begin speaking she grabs her keys and begins herding the younger teens out of the house.

“What all are we buying?” she questions.

“Snacks,” Erica replies. “Robin called and said we should get some for tonight.” Because tonight’s movie night at Harrington’s place. _That’s right_.

Crystal nods as she unlocks the car – Dustin and Lucas race around to the passenger side but Dustin gets there first, much to the chagrin of the others – and gets the pack of kids piled in the back before settling in the driver’s seat. Driving anywhere with the kids was a little bit hectic, lots of loud conversations and arguments over songs. Crystal found that the best way to alleviate that was to take complete control over the music in the car: _“driver picks the music, passengers can live with it or find another way back.”_ Lucky for the kids, they usually like her music. So they cruise down the street while everyone sings along to Bon Jovi in varying levels of off-key tunes, the whole thing dissolving into giggles by the end of it because they truly sound _atrocious_.

Their time in the store, thankfully, is not eventful. Lucas and Mike got into some little fight that resulted in them stealing grapes and pelting one another with them, but Erica had snapped at them for it before Crystal got the chance. It had been very entertaining going up to the cash register with her pack of young teens and an unholy amount of snacks, the poor clerk had looked utterly bewildered, and it had been even more entertaining to then pack those bags in the car and get the kids back inside, but they managed to settle in pretty easily – Max stealing the coveted passenger seat while Dustin and Lucas bickered over it. It’s ultimately decided that they should go to Steve’s early, and so Crystal finds herself pulling in to his longer-than-reasonably-necessary driveway and trying to balance the various bags of snacks in her arms as Mike reaches the front door and knocks away.

Steve answers with that dumb smirk on his face, looking for all the world like he’d been expecting them to come early.

“I figured it was you guys. Couldn’t wait any longer to see me?” he teases, earning himself groans from at least three of the kids. Crystal rolls her eyes.

Dustin, at the very least, is happy to see the older omega. His eyes crinkle around the edges as he grins at Steve, walking up and getting himself a high-five as he enters the house. The rest of the gang follows suit, with Crystal bringing up the rear. At the sight of her, his face gets downright _smug_. “Sleep well, Lady Henderson?”

“Like a fuckin’ _baby_ ,” she replies, because babies seemingly only sleep a couple of hours before they decide to wake up and wail until someone notices. She gives him a painfully fake smile oozing with uncharacteristic sweetness, it makes him snort and she can’t help but do the same. Crystal eases past him and makes a line for the kitchen. “Alright, Harrington, what’s the movie again?”

“ _Just One of the Guys_.” It’s Dustin who answers, grin spreading on his face. “I heard it’s great!”

“I’m sure it is,” replies Crystal, who’s seen the movie once and knows otherwise. “Well, since we’re already here I’m gonna order pizza because God knows we’ll need it.” And they _will_ ; the snacks are meant for later, if the kids get into it now they’ll fuss about it later on in the night. Steve opens his mouth and she knows exactly what he’s going to say. She beats him to the punch. “You aren’t paying, don’t even think about it.”

“You already bought all the snacks, Criss,” he argues, hands going to his hips as he takes up a defensive pose. Crystal crosses her arms, brow furrowing defensively.

“So, you can buy them next time. This one’s on me.” It’s a _funny_ thing when two omegas have a stand-off. It’s a temporary fight for dominance, and these two are too stubborn to give in right away. The kids watch it all in amusement – Dustin and Max have their money on Crystal; Mike and Erica put their faith in Steve while Lucas simply struggles to refrain from laughing at the whole thing – and it falls silent in the house for a minute.

Dustin and Max share a celebratory high-five when Steve backs down. Crystal’s smile is downright smug as she summons the phone from across the kitchen with a wave of her hand.

Steve slips a hefty bill into her purse after she goes to greet the delivery man at the door and considers himself the real winner of their little dispute.

It’s a good thing she gets the pizza when she does, because even she hadn’t realized how hungry she is until she sets the boxes down in the kitchen. She’s not the only one; Steve and Dustin split a whole pepperoni pie between the two of them. Lucas eats another half of a pepperoni pizza, while Erica snarks at him about it _(while eating a rather impressive amount of cheese pizza herself)_. The food doesn’t last very long among the group. Steve goes out back to toss the empty boxes and returns with soda procured from an impromptu trip to the garage on his way back. The gang finds themselves sprawled in the living room after that, their movie night starting early.

Nobody complains about that, of course, because that means there’s just enough time to watch two movies. And it’s a _good_ thing they have that option because, as Crystal suspected, they don’t particularly enjoy _Just One of the Guys_. By the end of it Steve looks like he’s zoned out, Erica looks downright _mad_ that she’s wasted those minutes of her life, and Dustin’s trying to make an argument that it _wasn’t that bad_ , while Mike, Lucas, and Max present him with looks that make it clear he’s fooling nobody.

_Popeye_ isn’t an old movie, but Crystal thinks it’s a classic already. The others like it significantly more than _Just One of the Guys_. It’s the perfect movie to end the night with. Max and Lucas lay on the floor together side-by-side, her head resting against his shoulder. The pair, Crystal’s observed, has a little bit of a rocky relationship. She dumps him almost once a month it seems, and he always pretends to not be bothered by it as he drags the boys out to buy another gift in an effort to win her back. They fight and bicker on and off, but in moments like this, when the alpha and her beta are at peace, Crystal thinks they’re absolutely adorable. Lucas and Max, in spite of their flaws and faults, make each other _happy_. In the few months since the fight at Starcourt he’s been gentler with her, more understanding of her moods as she grieves over Billy’s loss.

Across from them, Dustin and Mike lay together, Mike sprawled on top of the beta as they laughed at the movie. They’d grown closer recently, those two. Not that they hadn’t been close _before_ , but Mike’s best friend was Lucas and Dustin was usually satisfied with simply being everyone’s friend. Crystal asked him once who his best friend was. To her surprise, his answer was _Eleven_ ; the three boys were more like brothers to him at this point, he’d explained, his relationship with them was established and not likely to fall apart. Max and Eleven were new friends, and while he loved Max dearly El was the one he really bonded with. He missed her now, almost as much as Mike did, and it seemed the boys bonded even more over their loss of her.

Erica, not interested in the floor, settles in one of the seats in the living room, a bag of chips in her arms as she scoffs at the four on the floor. Crystal herself stretches out on Steve’s sofa with the other boy, who watches the movie with rapt attention, each leaning against opposite sides of the couch while their legs tangled in the middle. Once, Tommy H. said that Steve was notoriously _empty-headed_ on account of how easy he was to please. And Steve _is_ easy to please, you can put on a movie he’s seen ten times before and he’ll enjoy himself just as much as he did the first time. Crystal doesn’t think he’s empty-headed, however. He wasn’t the best of students back in high school, but he’d always shown an impressive level of cleverness and quick thinking. He was intelligent in his own way, and some part of her admired it. She admires a lot about Steve Harrington, if she’s honest. He has good qualities, even if he’s a _pain in the ass_ sometimes.

Between the comfort of the couch and the presence of her friend so close, Crystal can’t help but doze slightly. She doesn’t think she’s out long; the movie’s still playing when Steve’s leg jostles against hers slightly. Brown eyes blink slowly at a similar pair of eyes beneath a furrowed brow.

“Still with us, Snowflake?” His words are light and teasing and his voice is quiet, but his gaze conveys unspoken concern. Crystal stretches slightly, waving him off.

“M’fine,” she assures him, her own voice quiet, “Just sleepy.”

“Did you take a nap today?” he asks. Crystal considers exaggerating the truth for a brief moment, but ends up closing her eyes and letting out a quiet sigh.

“For two hours or so, yeah.” She opens her eyes again and finds Steve shaking his head, hand running through his hair.

“ _Christ, Henderson_ ,” he mutters. Crystal pulls a face, nudging his leg with her own.

“Don’t worry,” she tells him, “I’m going to conk out as soon as we get home.”

“Yeah, are you sure you’ll be able to sleep tonight too? Or is the whole sleeping world going to keep you up tonight too?”

Crystal goes to reply, but catches Erica watching them with a curious eyebrow raised. On the floor, Dustin gives her that worried look. The omega sinks further into the couch. Her voice lowers again the next time she speaks.

“It rarely strikes two nights in a row,” she sighs. “Seriously, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” Steve doesn’t look any less worried.

“You sure you wanna drive back? You could always spend the night, I can call everyone and let them know the kids are having an impromptu sleepover,” he suggests. Crystal smiles lightly.

“I’m sure the kids would love that, but I’m gonna try and get them home tonight,” she declines. “Sleepover night at Casa Harrington will have to wait for another time.” Steve relents after that. By the end of _Popeye_ , Crystal isn’t the only one ready to sleep for the night. It’s hard loading up a car of tired kids, but she gets it done while Steve stands in the doorway, stifling a yawn of his own. Before Crystal gets in the car, she moves back over to him and slides an arm around his waist in a side hug.

“This was fun,” she hums. Steve squeezes her gently.

“Of course it was. It’s always a good time at Casa Harrington,” he teases, earning himself an amused snort. “We’ve gotta make this, like, a _thing_. Movie night at my place. I buy the pizza next time.”

“Whatever,” she grumbles softly, shaking her head. “I know you put that forty in my bag, by the way.” Steve’s only response is a sheepish grin, and she glares at him as hard as she can in spite of her own growing grin. Detangling herself from his embrace, she slapped at his arm. “I gotta get going, don’t get into any trouble tonight.”

“Wouldn’t think of it!” Steve calls after her. “Sweet dreams, Lady Henderson!” Her response is a single-fingered _salute_ that makes him laugh before she gets into the driver’s seat. One by one, she drops the kids off – Erica’s still sleeping blissfully when she reaches the Sinclair home, so she carries her in for them – and finally reaches her own home with a barely-awake Dustin. She lets out a sigh as she parks in the driveway, keys jangling as she turns the ignition off.

“Alright, Dusty. Final stop.” In the passenger seat, Dustin’s half-lidded eyes blink once, twice, before he sits up and stretches.

“Thanks, Crissy,” he yawns. She chuckles softly, shaking her head as she unbuckles her seatbelt.

“Don’t mention it, kid. You know I’m happy to do it. Besides-“ she exits the car, using her hip to bump the door shut. “- I had a good time tonight.” Dustin climbs out of the car, gets into the house, and is just barely capable of saying goodnight to Claudia, who looks like she’s ready for bed herself. Crystal spares a glance over to the clock in the living room – it’s just past ten. That’s around the time their mother goes to bed typically, though the woman refuses to sleep until her kids get home. Crystal gets a hug from both her mother and her brother before they head up the stairs in a line and disperse into their different rooms.

Crystal drops her purse on the bed and moves to her bathroom, running a hand through her dark curls. A shower can wait for the morning, _theoretically_ , but she wants to get it out of the way tonight. She takes a warm one after removing her contacts, enjoying the heat of the droplets on her chilled skin. She doesn’t feel cold _all the time_ , per se, but it isn’t uncommon to see her shiver with an inexplicable chill at least once a day. It’s just how her physiology works; in order to manipulate and produce ice, her body tries to keep cold. The only issue with that is that she’s a warm-blooded human. The lowered temperature keeps her feeling chilly more often than not, especially in the winter. It’s almost _impossible_ to get warm then. But for now, for this moment, she relishes in the warmth of the shower. When she’s done, she grabs her towel and wraps it around herself before wandering back into her bedroom, running a comb through her wet hair and grabbing a shirt she’s fairly sure is clean, and a pair of pants. Dressed in comfortable clothes now, she almost climbs into bed, but changes her mind. A glass of water before bed sounds good to her. Slipping on her slippers, she silently steps out into the hallway and makes her way to the steps. Halfway down the stairs, she hears a sound that makes her freeze.

It sounds like a window _opening_. Like someone’s _entering through that window_.

On high alert now, Crystal finishes her descent in complete silence, her brain kicking into high gear. In moments like this, strategic ability is a _must_ , and Crystal doesn’t know many people who can out-perform her in that arena. Confrontations of this variety are a sort of _game_ to her, a _chess match_ with stakes far too high for her to leave the game to chance.

The stakes for this match: her mother and brother.

Her opponent: currently unknown.

She reaches the last step and takes a careful look around. The window in question is just barely in sight, and a shadow looms on the wall beside it. Her neck cranes forward cautiously and she finds herself staring at the back of a curly head. She’s _stunned_. There’s no way she’s seeing this correctly. Feet move forward and he must sense her presence because he whirls around, but before he can think of moving Crystal’s hand flings out. Telekinesis is not her strong point, but she’s not too shabby with it. He can’t move, her power pressing in on him as she stares with wide eyes.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” she growls. Billy Hargrove, looking like he just got back from a long stroll through Hell, gives her his most charming smile.

“Sorry to disappoint, Henderson.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, reviews, and kudos give me serotonin, help a chick out.


	3. Part Two: Wayward Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's odd, talking to someone you saw die not even six months before. Crystal does the best she can, and it just might be enoug for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never seen so much head-nodding in one chapter of anything. This chapter's kinda short, so I'll try and make the next one longer.

_She’d not been trained for war; her projected field was always espionage. With powers like hers, she would make an exceptional spy, perhaps an assassin even. The ideal answer to the Soviets and their elite forces. Three was just six years old, but one could never be too prepared too early. Small hands fidgeted in her lap as as one of the guards ran a comb through her springy curls. Three didn’t have a steady caretaker, but she liked this woman. Her eyes were a soft green, and she always smiled when she saw the young subject._

_Today, she was indulging Three. The girl was off the testing roster that day – an impromptu decision after her tests yesterday went haywire. Her body still ached from the overuse, her muscles exhausted and her form shivered with more chill than usual. The green-eyed woman took pity on her today and had been with her almost since she woke up. She’d gotten a sugary treat with her breakfast, a warm shower, and now she was seated on a comfy chair as the woman brushed her hair. It was nice._

_But it wasn’t an off day. No one got an off day in the lab. The green-eyed woman’s voice was soft as she spoke to Three, like a gentle song. “There are three skills you need to succeed. You need to fight, better than your opponent, no matter what. You need silence, it’s your best defense against an enemy. But above all else, you need intelligence. You have to outsmart them at every turn.”_

_“How do I do that?” the child asked. She winced slightly as the comb tugged on a difficult knot._

_“You will learn,” the woman replied. “Spying is all about intelligence, my dear one. You gather it, you protect it, you use it to your advantage. When you fight, you must do the math to fight smarter, not harder. When you interrogate, you use strategic intelligence to get the information you want without outright asking for it. Do you understand that?”_

_Three thought about it for a moment, brow creasing slightly. “A little bit?” The green-eyed scientist chuckled softly._

_“That’s alright. One day, you will understand.”_

She’s not a spy; she got lucky, but she does get it now.

There’s battle math and there’s diplomatic math, and Crystal has become a master of both. She’s been outrunning Hawkins National for years now, outdoing her brother in their sibling squabbles, and outsmarting people in her classes for a number of reasons, be it an answer to a question or a snarky comeback. She’s stared down monsters with a deceptive amount of ease, won fights she really shouldn’t have, and it all goes back to those two schools of thought, the strategic benefits of battle intelligence and diplomatic intelligence.

This is likely to be a matter of _diplomacy_.

Nothing about Billy suggests immediate threat or danger, but she isn’t going to let him go yet. _Best to keep him pinned and physically unable to escalate the issue._ She scans the area once, twice, three times for an item used to open the window, but finds none. _Is it outside? On his person? She’ll keep an eye out for that._ He’s alone, that she’s sure of. He looks in no shape to try and start a physical fight – _oddly weak, but he’s trying to hide it_. He’s not doing a very good job, unfortunately. Overall, the threat level is low.

She’s established her facts. Now she needs _intelligence_.

“You’d better have a really good explanation as to why you’re sneaking into my house in the middle of the night.” Which reminds her, Claudia and Dustin are variables in this game. She can’t afford to have them down here. It takes effort to mentally reach out and coax both people deeper into sleep while maintaining pressure on her intruder, but she gets it done. Billy drops his smile.

“I’m not here tryin’ to hurt somebody,” he tells her, and she raises an eyebrow.

“And I should believe that, why?” For a second, he looks lost as he scrambles for a response.

“I’m unarmed, I swear, I don’t have anything on me,” he promises. That’s not enough.

“You don’t need a weapon. You throw a mean left hook, Hargrove. I’ve seen the aftermath on Steve Harington’s face,” she counters. Not a checkmate, but she’s got him in a good spot. The best way to get information is to corner the person in question. Whatever he’s up to, he’s not going to be able to lie about it.

He frowns, huffs, and – _is he trying to escape?_

She feels a force pushing back at her grip, but Billy stays completely still. That’s a variable she _wasn’t_ expecting. She reevaluates, tries again.

“Where’d you learn that trick?”

“Good old Mother Russia,” he replies, not an ounce of amusement in his voice. “Look, it’s a long story, and if I wanted to try and fight you I could, but I just need to talk to you.” Her eyes narrow. Billy’s _alive_ , and he’s got some level of _telekinetic ability_. That establishes him as a _little bit of a threat_ : even if he can’t physically take her in a fight, he can use his newfound powers. She needs to appeal, and so she goes for a gentler route.

“Why me?” There’s one of two ways this can go. If he’s being _honest_ , he’ll give the right answer and she’ll let him go. If he gives the wrong answer, she’ll advance to _battle math._

“Because you’re the only person I know of in Hawkins who’s going to understand any of this, like, fully,” he replies, and something about his tone is suspiciously pleading. It’s the right answer.

Her hand lowers; the invisible grip on the boy loosens.

“So start explaining.” Billy pauses, moving his arms to see if he’s really free, before cautiously walking to the nearest chair. Crystal’s eyes track his every move. He looks tired, almost _frail_. He has a limp, she notes. Billy once was considered one of the most physically fit people in Hawkins, and now he looks like his small trek may leave him winded. It’s concerning at the _least_. Her face remains hard, but her voice softens the next time she speaks. “We saw you die, Billy. How are you here?”

“I didn’t die.” Billy leans forward, elbows resting against his thighs. “Got real close, though. When you escaped the mall, the Commies grabbed me and dragged my ass all the way to Russia.” Crystal takes her own seat, settling across from him as he speaks. There’s an odd tension in the air and it keeps her painfully on edge. “They managed to save my life and then we all learned that I can move shit with my mind too. Had a field day with that, the damn bastards. I think they wanted to make me their _secret weapon_ or some shit and I didn’t want that, so I escaped.” Her brows furrowed slightly. That was one hell of a trip to make in so little time. No wonder he looks so weak.

“What, so you got back to Hawkins and came here to see me?” she questions. He flashes a tired smile at her.

“That’s right, _dollface_. Just couldn’t get you off my mind,” he teases, sickly sweet grin oozing with acidic sarcasm. Crystal stifles a groan.

“I’m being serious, Hargrove. Why me?” Billy pauses, leaning back in his seat. His smile fades off into something more anxious.

“One time you got mad at me at a party, you remember that?” She blinks. Another curveball, he’s good at this. At her silence, he presses on. “I’d been giving some kid shit and you were drunk. Yelled at me for a solid five minutes at least.” He chuckles at the memory. She sort of remembers this, head tilting slightly as she tries to recall the full scenario. “At the end of it you gave me this look and you said _‘you’re one of the nastiest people I’ve ever met. Why won’t you be better?’_ And I laughed at it but you told me then that anyone could be a better person if they wanted to, even me.” _Oh_ , she remembers that. She’d gone to Nancy’s home for the night and proudly proclaimed that she’d told Billy Hargrove off, much to the alpha’s amusement.

“I did, didn’t I? Called you a greasy bastard,” she muses. She’s _de-escalating_. The strategic game is on hold for now, she relaxes somewhat. The tension begins to thin. Billy shifts in his seat, attempting to hide his pensiveness.

“You still believe that Is there any hope for a greasy bastard like me?” There’s a bigger question here, an unasked one that echoes through the whole house, it seems. He’s not just asking if she thinks he _can_ be helped – he’s asking her for it. She has to hesitate, has to weigh the situation carefully before giving any sort of answer. Helping Billy Hargrove, after everything that’s happened, isn’t going to be _easy_. It’s clear to her that he’s a troubled soul, and this path is going to be difficult for him. Can she handle that? She can, she believes.

But does she _want_ to?

“I believe it won’t be smooth sailing,” she replies. “I believe this is the hardest thing you’ll ever do in your life.” One of his eyebrows creep up.

“How so?” he asks.

“This is a path with no end.” She leans forward. “You’ve been through a lot of hard things, but you got through those. You came out on the other side. Being a better person means you’re going to have to wake up every day for the rest of your life and choose better, even when you don’t want to. It means you’re going to have to revisit things you’ve done and try and atone for those. You’re going to have to apologize to people who won’t want to forgive you. And It’s something you’re going to have to be conscious about for the rest of your life. Are you sure you can do that?” Now it’s Billy’s turn to pause, mulling the question over in his mind. When he replies, his voice is quiet.

“I want to try.” She makes a point not to smile.

“Trying is all I can ask of you.” Trying is enough, for now at least. “Alright, Hargrove. You want help? You’ve got mine.” She pauses, comes to a realization. “But you aren’t staying at my place. Can you go back to yours?” Billy replies with a negative shake of his head. “I didn’t think so.” That’s her first point of action: finding a place for Billy to lay low until they can formulate a better plan. She thinks about it for a moment – the Byers home is still empty, but knowing her luck she’ll put him there and someone will express interest in the house. A no-go. A second, better idea pops up.

“Hopper’s cabin.” Billy looks confused.

“Cabin?”

“You remember the old chief, right?” Crystal nods her head. “He had a little spot out in the woods, no one goes back there ever. We could set you up there for now at least, though it’s kind of in shambles.” The last time she’d been there, the place was a mess in the wake of the Mind Flayer’s wrath. It will provide shelter well enough, but it’s not the prettiest place. “It needs a little bit of a touchup, but it’ll work for now.” For his part, the alpha doesn’t seem to want to argue. He nods, and Crystal gets up. “After that. You’re gonna need food and clothes. Food, I can give you now.” No one is going to notice if a few items are missing from the pantry, there’s a growing boy in their house after all. “I might have some of Jonathan Byers’ clothes lying around too, but it’s not going to be a lot.” She pauses, pointing a hand in his direction. “Stay right there, don’t move from that position.” He nods, and Crystal moves for the kitchen.

Grabbing a bag, she opens the fridge and peers into the interior. There’s an unopened carton of orange juice, Dustin won’t notice it’s gone, she hopes. Bread isn’t the most exciting food, but it’ll do for now. Then she’s got boxes of crackers and cookies, and she’s going to have to go shopping because Billy’s going to need more than this. It will do for tonight, though. She sets the bag on the counter and pokes her head into the living room once more – Billy’s right where she left him, dull blue eyes peering out of the window he’d crawled through not very long ago – before creeping up the stairs.

Her mind reaches out to Claudia. She’s still tucked away in a deep slumber. Dustin’s sleep, on the other hand, is turning _fitful_. He’s not dreaming, but sleep seems to be leaving him. She can’t have that. Once again, Crystal tugs her younger brother deeper into sleep, and she cautiously leads him into a pleasant dream about the summer camp he’d gone to. He settles after that, and she lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in. She eases into her room and digs around in her drawers for old clothes her friend had left in the house. Some of it she’d stolen for nesting purposes, other items he’d either left for her to use or for him to use himself on nights he wanted to convince Joyce to let him and Will spend the night. She can’t give it all away, and settles on a few shirts and a couple of pairs of pants. She’ll grab more from Steve tomorrow, he won’t mind.

She’s back down the stairs in no time and sticks the clothes in the bag, bringing the whole thing to Billy after that. Thrusting the sack into his unprepared hands, she turns again and goes to grab her keys. “I’m not kicking you out, I’m really not,” she explains, breezing past him to shut the window he’d opened, “But I don’t want to risk having anyone in the house wake up and find you here. Dustin especially, he’ll flip out.” Dustin gets along with most people, but he notoriously _disliked_ Billy. After seeing the alpha whale on Steve, and knowing what Max told him about the older boy, he came to a quick conclusion that he didn’t like him. If he finds Billy in their house, his reaction will not be a pleasant one.

Billy seems to understand, and nods once before following her out through the door. She knows there’s little chance of either family member waking in her absence – she’s still toying with sleep and dreams in the very back of her mind, a near-subconscious reflex to keep Claudia and Dustin blissfully unaware of her absence. Even then, she’s careful as she opens the car door and slipping into the front seat. Once the passenger door is unlocked, Billy gets in just as quietly, and moments later she’s backing out of the driveway and easing onto the road.

Now she’s on edge again. It’s not that she believes the alpha is lying to her, but there’s always a chance. She keeps an eye on him in her peripheral, hands wrapped loosely around the wheel. Billy, for his part, remains silent for the drive, slouched in the passenger seat. His eyes gaze listlessly out of the window and Crystal is surprised by how _tired_ he looks. Even in the house, in spite of his weary appearance, he’d seemed to be vaguely like his old self. Now, he looks like a _ghost_. Crystal considers putting on a cassette to fill the silence, but can’t bring herself to do it. The silence isn’t uncomfortable, just endless and _heavy_ , and it spans across the whole of the drive.

It’s strange, driving up to the abandoned cabin. Crystal’s car rolls to a stop just before the wooden structure and she leaves the engine on so that the headlights shine on it. For a moment, she stares at the cabin before glancing over at Billy. Billy’s staring too, expressionless and oddly _calm_. Crystal clears her throat.

“It’s not the neatest place,” she states apologetically. Her voice causes the boy’s gaze to shift towards her in a sidelong gaze.

“It’s not bad,” he murmurs, and even his voice sounds oddly hollow now. She wonders what exactly he’s gone through in the past four months.

But it’s a question for later. Crystal steps out of the car and Billy follows suit, and after she grabs a flashlight from the trunk the two walk a short distance to the front door of the old cabin. The door looks like it’s about to fall off its hinges and Crystal is careful as she pushes it open and flicks on the flashlight. It’s unsurprisingly musty inside. Billy looks around almost thoughtfully, but follows Crystal in relative silence towards the back of the cabin. Hopper’s room is still in near-perfect condition, they find. Crystal stays by the doorway while the blond wanders further in. He stares around the room for a moment before turning back to her, brows furrowed slightly.

“What happened to the girl?” he asks. “She lived with Hopper, didn’t she?” Crystal nods twice.

“Yeah. She moved out of town with the Byers about a month ago,” she replies. He looks surprised by her response.

“The Byers moved?” She nods again, and he nods once in acknowledgment. He steps forward and sits on the bed, looking around once more before his gaze falls on Crystal again. His lips tug up into a small smile. “Thanks, Henderson.” Crystal returns an acknowledging nod. Some part of her feels bad for leaving him out in the woods on his own, but it’s late and she’s tired and she can’t think of a better option right now. She promises herself it’s temporary; she’ll find him a better place.

“You sure you’ll be okay out here?” she asks. Billy thinks it over.

“Can I get you to leave the flashlight for the night?” A simple request, she can do that. The flashlight is handed off, and he thanks her again for it before his face again morphs into something tired and fragile. “One more thing.”

“What?” Crystal pushes off of the doorframe and raises a curious eyebrow. Billy shifts around for a moment.

“Don’t, ah, don’t tell anyone that I’m – y’know, _here_.” He pauses for a moment. “Not yet, at least.” Crystal nods without hesitation.

“Your secret’s safe,” she hums. Billy nods back.

“Thanks. I’m serious. And, um-“ He’s shifting again, clearly out of his comfort zone. “ _I’m sorry_. For being a dick and all back in high school.” Crystal hums quietly. He _was_ quite the dick. Billy Hargrove breezed into Hawkins High, dethroned King Steve effortlessly, and teased the living hell out of every person he’d deemed worth less than him. Crystal was one of those people. Their encounters were brief and small in number, but she’d _hated_ him in high school. Now, she’s not sure hate’s the right word.

“Thank you for the apology,” she says finally, “And you’re forgiven.” But just saying sorry isn’t going to cut it. She knows that. They both do. But they’re tired, and so it’s enough for tonight. Crystal clears her throat and shoves her hands into her pockets. “I’ll come by and check on you tomorrow. Make sure the mountain lions or something didn’t eat you.” Tired as he is, he snorts at that.

“There aren’t mountain lions in Indiana.” She chuckles in reply.

“Goodnight, Hargrove.” She steps out of the room as he returns the phrase, and minutes later she’s back on the road, suddenly being hit by everything that’s happened. Billy Hargrove’s _alive_ , his time bonded to the Mind Flayer turned out to be just enough to give him _powers_ , and she’s the _only_ person in Hawkins who knows anything about it. She passes Neil Hargrove’s house on the way back to her own, and wonders about Max. Does Billy have any idea how much she misses him? Is she going to have to tell him?

She’s home in no time, turning the car off and slipping back in with no issue. Dustin and Claudia are comfortably sleeping still, perfect. Crystal drops onto her bed and joins them within seconds. She’s lucky tonight; not even her own dreams try disturbing her slumber. Crystal spends the night blissfully lost in visions of her younger self hanging off of Jonathan Byer’s bed, the two friends laughing at a conversation neither remember anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos save a life.


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